BLUE SUN ROOM FAN FICTION - GENERAL

WHOSTHATGIRL

Dress Uniform
Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Mal's daughter survives her first Christmas away from home.
Belongs to somebody not me. Blah blah blah, yackety schmackety.
Please to give feedback. Good. Bad. Whatever.


CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 1599    RATING: 10    SERIES: FIREFLY

It was the first Christmas Carly had spent away from Serenity. In the past year, she had learned how to march in her sleep, make a bed so tight you could bounce a coin off it and develop a mean upper cut when anybody gave her shit about her old man.

Her father had been right. It was that much harder when everyone found out she was the offspring of the Liberator of Miranda. They either fawned over her or – more often – were that much harder on her to see if she was made of the same stuff as Mal. A black eye delivered to the biggest guy in her unit in exchange for him grabbing her ass had finally settled the matter as far as everyone in her unit was concerned. The three weeks following of peeling potatoes on kitchen duty settled it for her superior officers.

PFC Caroline Marie Reynolds indeed had the right stuff.

Still, she hadn’t been quite this homesick since her first week of bootcamp, with hundreds of eyes asking the very same question: You really HIS kid?

She missed the tinsel Kaylee would strew about the mess. The spicy hot cocoa Zoe would make. Simon’s surprisingly lovely tenor leading everyone in Christmas carols. The silly joke gifts she and her brother Derry would exchange. Jayne’s Christmas feast, where there would be an actual roast bird, roasted potatoes and fresh vegetables – even if it meant protein mash for the month following. River’s goofy Santa hat that she would wear the entire day. And her Pa’s inevitable grumbling about the entire foofarah, before surprising everyone with the best gifts possible. She even missed her long-gone Mama, who would preside over the gifting in her prettiest silk robe.

So sitting in the mess, shoving around a tin tray of protein mash gone cold, she was feeling a right sorry mess for herself and never saw Jesse Gomez drop the sizeable package next to her.

“Yo, Reynolds! Mail call. Looks like a doozy too. Gonna share some of Kaylee’s fudge again?”

Jesse Gomez was Carly’s best friend in the unit. She barely came up to Carly’s chin and maybe weighed 90 pounds, wringing wet. Still, she was scrappy as hell and had gotten in her own fair share of fights, usually backing up Carly.

Carly looked at the package. It was actually from Jayne’s Ma. Vera Cobb had simply decided that the two Reynolds children needed a Ma after Inara had died, wiped her hands on her apron, rolled up her sleeves and went to work, just as she had done with her own boisterous brood of boys. There were always packages for birthdays and Christmas, letters and cards asking about how their studies were going and reminding them to wash behind their ears, and the occasional ‘wave. And lots of cookies and hugs when they visited.

So a Vera Cobb package was always a good thing. There was invariably something practical, goodies to eat, and a carefully penned letter giving an update on the Cobb family doings. Jesse was right – this one was surely a doozy. Much bigger than what Ma Cobb usually sent.

By now, Carly had attracted the attention of the other 13 soldiers in her unit, what with Jesse likely having blabbed to everyone that Carly had scored big for Christmas. They all crowded around, encouraging her to open it.

First up was a tin of cookies and another of fudge, which were passed around with much cheers and laughter. Next was a box of Carly’s favorite tea, which she quickly set aside, before the vultures descended. Then a matching reindeer sweater and mittens, which was the cause of much hooting and laughter. Of course, no Vera Cobb package was complete without at least one embarrassing gift, which in this case, was a box of condoms complete with a note reading “Just in case…”

Carly tucked it into her jacket before anyone else saw. Couldn’t even look Lucas Carlson in the eye, considerin’ what had almost happened ‘tween them just a couple nights ago. If only Vera Cobb’s package had arrived three days earlier…

Jesse rooted around in the bottom of the package and came up with one more box. It was addressed to Carly’s unit as a whole.

“Hey, Reynolds, looks like you weren’t the only one who scored! Ma Cobb got lots o’ love to go round.”

Lucas piped up, “Cripes, tell me she didn’t make ruttin’ Rudolph sweaters for all of us.”

Carly socked him in the arm.

Meanwhile, Jesse had dove into the box, peered inside, and broke out in raucous laughter. Inside the box were 14 orange and yellow knitted hats, each with a pom-pom and a pair of red earflaps. Just like the one belonging to Carly’s Uncle Jayne.

“Whoo! Now we can be proper Browncoats, with dress uniform hats courtesy of Ma Cobb!”

The hats were passed around and everyone put them on, seeing how cold the mess hall tended to be. Amidst the laughter and cheers, nobody noticed Old Sarge come up behind them.

Old Sarge had actually served with Mal. Gave Carly no end of grief when she first upped about how she couldn’t live up to her old man. He’d finally given her grudging respect in the form of a grunted, “Yer alright, Reynolds” after she had managed to field dress her rifle in under a minute.

“Ten-SHUN!”

At his barked order, everyone suddenly snapped to attention and saluted, hats in hand. Old Sarge walked the line, giving them all the hairy eyeball. He reached the end of the line and stared at Carly.

The cigar traveled from one end of his mouth to the other.

“This yer doin’, Reynolds?”

Carly swallowed nervously.

“Sir, yes sir!”

Old Sarge reached out, snagged the last piece of fudge, replaced the cigar with the fudge, and glanced once again at the terrified unit.

“Those hats make you look ridiculous.”

COMMENTS

Tuesday, December 25, 2007 9:59 PM

TUJIAOZUO


Best. Kid!Fic. Ever.

Regardless I mourn the loss of 'Nara's untimely demise. I loved it.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007 5:59 AM

PHYRELIGHT


LOL! This is the funniest one you've written!

Wednesday, December 26, 2007 6:29 PM

NCBROWNCOAT


I loved it too. Keep on writing.

Thursday, December 27, 2007 6:47 PM

DESERTGIRL


LOL! I can hardly stop laughing long enough to type. What fun. Ridiculous indeed.


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Uneasy Lies the Head - G
Mal wants somebody not him to be in charge for once.<p>
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AN: The full quote is 'Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,' from Shakespeare's Henry the Fourth. There. Consider yourself edumacated.


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